Dog Shopping

I want to get a dog but it's very difficult to be a decent consumer. You have to find a registered breeder, then get interviewed, and pay a small fortune to take it home. A lot of them make you follow-up and go through their vets. I'd be happy to get a rescue dog, but the only way my wife will agree to a dog is if it won't shed. Those are tough to come by for free. The other option is a pet store, which I'll never do. I understand the brutality of the puppy mills where most of these shops get their dogs, and I'd never put money into the system. But it is tempting. You walk in with cash and walk out with a dog. But the worst part is that for the rest of that dog's life whenever someone you just met says, "Oh, I'm looking for this breed, too. Where did you get it?" You have to say, "A pet store," and try to cook up a decent excuse for you transgression. It's like trying to explain a facial tattoo.